si: n. 1
the expanse of
salt water that covers
most of the earth's
surface and surrounds
its land masses. 2
any part of
this as opposed to land or
fresh water. 3 a
particular (usu. named) tract of salt water
partly or
wholly enclosed by land (the
North Sea; the
Dead Sea). 4 a
large inland lake (the Sea of Galilee). 5 the waves of the sea,
esp.
with reference to
their local motion or
state (a
choppy sea). 6 (foll. by of) a
vast quantity or expanse (a sea of troubles; a sea of faces). 7 (attrib.)
living or used
in,
on, or
near the sea (often prefixed to the
name of a
marine animal,
plant,
etc., having a
superficial resemblance to
what it is named after) (sea lettuce). øat sea 1 in a
ship on the sea. 2 (also
all at sea) perplexed, confused. by sea in a ship or ships. go to sea
become a
sailor. on the sea 1 in a ship at sea. 2 situated on the
coast. put (or put out) to sea leave land or
port. sea
anchor a
device such as a
heavy bag dragged in the water to
retard the drifting of a ship. sea
anemone any of
various coelenterates of the
order Actiniaria having a
polypoid body bearing a ring of tentacles
around the
mouth. sea-angel an angel-fish. sea bass any of various marine fishes like the bass, esp. Centropristis striatus. sea
bird a bird frequenting the sea or the land near the sea. sea bream =
PORGY. sea breeze a breeze blowing
towards the land
from the sea, esp.
during the
day (cf. land breeze). sea
buckthorn a
maritime shrub, Hippophaê rhamnoides with
orange berries. sea
change a
notable or
unexpected transformation (with
ref. to Shakesp.
Tempest I. ii. 403). sea-chest a sailor's storage-chest. sea
coal archaic mineral coal, as
distinct from
charcoal etc. sea cow 1 a
sirenian. 2 a
walrus. sea
cucumber a
holothurian, esp. a
béche-de-mer. sea
dog an
old or
experienced sailor. sea
eagle any fish-eating eagle esp. of the
genus Haliaêtus. sea-ear =
ORMER. sea
elephant any large seal of the genus Mirounga, the
male of
which has a
proboscis:
also called elephant seal. sea fan any
colonial coral of the order Gorgonacea supported by a fanlike
horny skeleton. sea
front the part of a coastal
town directly facing the sea. sea-girt
literary surrounded by sea. sea
gooseberry any marine animal of the
phylum Ctenophora, with an
ovoid body bearing
numerous cilia. sea-green bluish-green (as of the sea). sea
hare any of various marine molluscs of the order Anaspidea, having an
internal shell and long extensions from its
foot. sea
holly a spiny-leaved blue-flowered
evergreen plant, Eryngium maritimum. sea
horse 1 any of various
small upright marine fish of the
family Syngnathidae, esp.
Hippocampus hippocampus, having a body
suggestive of the
head and
neck of a horse. 2 a mythical
creature with a horse's head and fish's tail. sea-island
cotton a fine-quality long-stapled cotton
grown on islands
off the
southern US. sea
lavender any maritime plant of the genus Limonium, with small brightly-coloured funnel-shaped flowers. sea legs the
ability to
keep one's
balance and
avoid seasickness
when at sea. sea
level the mean level of the sea's surface, used in
reckoning the
height of hills etc. and as a barometric
standard. sea
lily any of various
sessile echinoderms, esp. of the
class Crinoidea, with long jointed stalks and feather-like arms
for trapping
food. sea
lion any large, eared seal of the
Pacific, esp. of the genus Zalophus or Otaria. sea
loch = LOCH 2. Sea
Lord (in the UK) a
naval member of the
Admiralty Board. sea
mile =
nautical mile. sea
mouse any
iridescent marine
annelid of the genus Aphrodite. sea
onion =
SQUILL 2. sea
otter a Pacific otter, Enhydra lutris, using a
stone balanced on its
abdomen to
crack bivalve molluscs. sea
pink a maritime plant, Armeria maritima, with
bright pink flowers: also called
THRIFT. sea
purse the egg-case of a skate or shark. sea
room clear space at sea for a ship to
turn or
manoeuvre in. sea salt salt produced by evaporating sea water. Sea Scout a member of the maritime
branch of the Scout
Association. sea
serpent (or snake) 1 a
snake of the family Hydrophidae, living in the sea. 2 an
enormous legendary serpent-like sea
monster. sea shell the shell of a salt-water
mollusc. sea
snail 1 a small
slimy fish of the family Liparididae, with a
ventral sucker. 2 any spiral-shelled mollusc, e.g. a whelk. sea
squirt any marine turnicate of the class Ascidiacea, consisting of a bag-like
structure with apertures for the
flow of water. sea
trout =
salmon trout. sea
urchin a small marine
echinoderm of the class Echinoidea, with a
spherical or flattened
spiny shell. sea
wall a wall or
embankment erected to
prevent encroachment by the sea. sea water water in or taken from the sea. [OE só f. Gmc]